Kuala Lumpur, Sep 19 (ANI): Rejecting former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s demand to immediately step down as the Malaysian Indian Congress Chief, S. Samy Vellu has said that he would stick to his original plan and resign in 2012.
“He (Prime Minister Najib Razak) is aware of my retirement plan. I will keep to my word to the prime minister and I will not change (my plan),” the New Strait Times Online quoted him, as saying.
Earlier, Dr Mohamad had warned that Samy Vellu would become a liability to the Barisan Nasional in the next general election since his leadership has failed.
Mohamad suggested that Samy Vellu should step down and take responsibility for the party’s failure in the last general election.
Reacting to Dr Mohamad’s statement, Samy Vellu said the former prime minister who is now calling him a liability had labelled him an asset “when we were winning.”
“His comments are like telling a young wife that she is beautiful and an asset, but when she becomes old, she is branded a liability,” he said.
“I am not at all surprised. But I think he refuses to understand that the BN losses in the last general election were not because of me. An experienced man (politician) like him should understand that,” he added.
MIC vice-president Dr S. Subramaniam said the leadership of any political party was decided by its members, and it should be respected by the other BN component parties.
“The members decide whether to give or withdraw the mandate and if a decision is made by the members, it should be respected by the other BN component parties.
It will be better if all BN leaders avoided commenting about other parties,” said Subramaniam. (ANI)
Wilson apologises for calling Obama ‘a liar’
Washington, Sep 10 (ANI): South Carolina Republican Joe Wilson has apologized for heckling and calling President Barack Obama ‘a liar’.
“This evening I let my emotions get the best of me when listening to the President’s remarks regarding the coverage of illegal immigrants in the Health Care Bill. While I disagree with the President’s statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the President for this lack of civility,” Politico quoted Wilson, as saying.
The comment from Wilson could be heard throughout the House chamber in response to Obama’s remark that his health insurance plan would not extend benefits to illegal immigrants.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before. We do not invite the president of the United States into the House of Representatives and hurl insults,” said Republican Earl Pomeroy.
According to Wilson’s office, he called the White House after the speech to apologise to Obama, speaking with Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
The 62-year-old Wilson, who was elected to the House in 2001, previously found himself in the spotlight for attacking 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry over his 1971 testimony criticizing the Vietnam War. (ANI)